Newbies, HIMYM and Closer Shakeups

If you’re new to the site, or my articles, it’s time to sit down at the table and ante up your tweets. That’s right. Every week, I scour my timeline for the best – okay, most relevant to the masses, or just entertaining – tweets to use in my article. If you want to see your tweet live in an article for all to see, well, just tweet me @allinkid and don’t bore me or ask a stupid question… then again, stupidity might get you included… it certainly hasn’t ever stopped me.

In fact, I am a big Yan Gomes fan. I ranked him higher than most, as Gomes brings one thing most catchers don’t: 20-plus home run power. The only question is the at-bats, but it looks as though Carlos Santana won’t be spending much time behind the plate (Keeper Alert! For those not thinking about the fact Santana might not have catcher eligibility next year). What I like more than Gomes is Belt’s potential. How quickly we forget that Belt was one of the highest rated prospects just a few years ago. Like Gomes, I ranked Belt higher than most, 15th at first base, because I believe in Belt building off last year and nearing 20 home runs with 80-90 Runs and RBI.

@it***es: [Drop A Bradley for Y Ventura] The bottom half of my rotation is Pineda and Tim Hudson and I picked up Benoit for ratios (and when Street goes down)

@allinkid: I want both of the youngsters and would drop Hudson, unless you need a stabilizer.

He went on to ask if he needed one, as he was new to rotisserie leagues. Hey, no worries if you’re a newbie. That’s what we’re here for… moron! I kid…

You can always find Tim Hudson types on the wire. Those pitchers don’t do much in terms of high strikeout potential, but they give you quality innings that help solidify your ERA and WHIP. Unless you have a rather volatile staff, you don’t need a “Hudson.” Archie Bradley is one of the more talented young arms in baseball, and I have a serious man-crush on Yordano Ventura. I had already ranked him rather high before his rotation spot was solidified. Then, when Ned Yost announced that Ventura was his fifth starter and could go “180-200 innings,” I did backflips… or just smiled a lot. Ventura also has the ability to notch 180-200 strikeouts; something very few pitchers can claim. Ventura checked into my Top 50, and I feel I still ranked him too low.

@allinkid: No. That’s not the twitter account of anyone (that I know of). And if you didn’t watch the show, don’t want the spoiler (think the statute of limitations has passed though) or don’t care about television, you can move along.

I’m sorry writers and CBS, but that was the worst.ending.possible. You just took nine years of investment by the viewers, the relationship build up and anticipation of the mother and the meaning behind all of it and threw it away. Actually, you threw it in the mud and paved over it with hot asphalt. Or maybe that was just our (the viewers’) hearts. The entire show was about meeting and falling in love with the mother, and you gloss over it only to have Ted go after Robin at the end? You suck! You should have just called it, “How I Met Your Aunt, Fell in Love, Failed with Her, Failed Again and AGAIN. Met Your Mother. She’s Perfect. She Dies. Go After Your Aunt Who is a Jerk Now.”

Here’s my ending, and it’s how I am pretending it went (I refuse to believe I watched the other junk): It still ends with “And that kids, is how I met your mother.” And the kids still have the same reaction… “What? It was always about Robin.” But then, Bob Saget (still his voice, we don’t ever need Ted in the scene, just continue with couch shot), pauses, then says, “No kids. You missed the meaning behind the story. Love shouldn’t be a fight. It should fit. It should be easy. It’s about finding someone who compliments you perfectly, even if it takes years… and that, kids, was.your.mother.” Roll same credits and extended pause on mother as it fades out.

Honestly, everyone after Santos has the slimmest of margins between them. This is why you don’t pay for saves, but it’s also why you stash as many as possible! Sergio Santos was the best of the bunch already – many forget how dominant he was pre-injury – and with Casey Janssen sidelined, Santos could lock down the closer gig for the season. Jose Valverde is the closer by default in New York with Bobby Parnell potentially lost for the year. For those wondering, Gonzalez German appears to be next in line after Valverde. Talk out of Milwaukee is that management wants Jim Henderson to regain his job, but Francisco Rodriguez will have to struggle first (okay, that’s not much to ask). J.J. Hoover gets first crack in Cincy with Aroldis Chapman out for half the season, but his job is anything but secure. Chad Qualls is first up in Houston, but that could be a result of the numerous injuries with the Astros. As for the Matt Lindstrom/Nate Jones mess, Jones is still the better talent, and I never trust Robin Ventura. Don’t forget, Hector Santiago was Ventura’s closer to start 2012, and look how that turned out. Ventura is the Mike Shanahan of closers. Be forewarned.